Rogue Alliance
by Alydia Rackham
Summary: ROGUE ONE ALTERNATE END. The swallowing light reaches out to devour them—but a blast of thrusters and the swift cool of a shield halts it for just an instant. An instant that Jyn and Cassian seize. But this salvation may yet lead to death, for where else is there to go but back into the arms of the Empire?
1. Chapter 1

Rogue Alliance

The swallowing light reaches out to devour them—but a blast of thrusters and the swift cool of a shield halts it for just an instant. An instant that Jyn and Cassian seize. But this salvation may yet lead to death, for where else is there to go but back into the arms of the Empire?

CHAPTER ONE

She held him. She had to. There was no one else, _nothing_ else, in the entire galaxy left for her to hold onto. Her shaking fingers wound like vises through his shirt; with every tight, short breath she drowned in the scent of him—sweat, oil, and cedar. His thundering heart hammered against her breastbone. Hot blood from the wound in his middle soaked into her shirt. He crushed her to him, winding his strong arms around her. The stubble on his cheek scratched her neck. His shattered breaths roared in her ear. She gripped him tighter.

Thoughts raced and bumbled and charged through her head—words leaped onto her tongue, but she couldn't summon them through her locked jaw.

Heat. Impossible heat swelled toward them. The light of an unbearable sunrise rolled toward them like a wave of fiery teeth, ready to boil the flesh from their bones. There was no use running. Besides, with Cassian's wound—he couldn't even stand up.

They would die. Here, right here. Knees dug into the sand. Wrapped in each other's arms. Total strangers mere days ago. And now—

Jyn squeezed her eyes shut. Heat seared across her face.

It was coming. Any second, any moment, any breath—

The marrow in her bones vibrated.

A blast of wind from behind her—so powerful it almost tore her out of Cassian's grip.

She couldn't pry her eyes open—the light would blind her. Even now, it glared like a supernova through her eyelids. A bellowing, mechanical roar enveloped her.

And suddenly, a striking, cool gap—like whiplash—swept over her.

And something large, stiff and _metal_ smacked into her back. She lashed out with her right hand, in reflex…

Caught something. A bolt, a strut. Something!

And then it started to pull away.

It started to pull _up_.

She gasped—her throat burned. She lifted with it—Cassian clawed at her. With all her strength, she wrapped her right arm around the metal strut, then wrapped her legs around Cassian's middle, and with her left hand she took his shirt in a death grip.

The metal jerked upward.

Jyn screamed—she couldn't even hear herself. Heat scalded her bare skin. She almost ripped in half.

Cassian hung from her, his arms bound around her waist—an excruciating weight. The metal bit into her arm. She bared her teeth and kept screaming, but she did not—she _would_ not—let go. Not of the strut—and not of him.

Tornadic wind buffeted them, swirling and lashing, fighting to knock them free. But whatever metal beast carried them, it rushed onward, higher and higher, further and further, until the heat faded back. But Jyn locked her muscles, did not open her eyes. Her arm spasmed and shook, her back strained to breaking…

 _Slap, slap, slap, slap!_

Leaves cracked against her legs, against Cassian. Whatever carried them suddenly dipped—

Jyn's arm slipped.

She gasped. Her eyes flew open.

They broke loose and fell. Through green—branches, leaves, trees—

Sparkling blue.

 _Splash!_

 _THUD._

She slammed into and under ice-cold water. Cassian came loose of her.

Her vision blacked out, and she remembered nothing else.

 _To be continued…_

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	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for the wonderful response! I hope you continue to enjoy it!_

CHAPTER TWO

"Where's…No, where is he…Where…" She heard the words being mumbled before she realized her own mouth was moving. Chills raced across her skin, her eyes rolled under closed lids.

And suddenly, with an icy flash, she opened her eyes and jerked halfway into a sitting position.

"Easy, easy!" came a sharp, masculine warning—and hands grabbed her. "I had to relocate your shoulder—you need to relax."

Jyn forced her eyes open, made them focus. Her head buzzed, and all her muscles shivered. In a moment, she could make out a low fire near her feet, built in sand. The sky had darkened to night, and palm trees surrounded them. The rush and flow of subdued ocean waves murmured somewhere out of sight, and a cool, salty breeze wandered in from the beach. Her clothes were damp, but not soaking, and her hair stuck to the side of her face and her neck. She lifted up onto her left elbow, her breath shortening, her heart starting to pound—

Across the fire, Cassian sat back against the trunk of a tree. A pilot's jacket draped across his chest.

He looked at her. Over the flames, right at her.

Those dark, brilliant, earnest eyes. Eyebrows drawn together.

He looked at her.

He was alive.

Her heart crashed against her ribs.

She mouthed his name, but her voice wouldn't make any sound at all. Cassian's gaze flickered, and his lips parted—

Jyn's head suddenly came around, and she stared up, wide-eyed at the first man who had grabbed her.

He had disheveled black hair and heavy mustache, dark eyes, and he wore a Rebel pilot's orange-and-white uniform.

"Who are you?" Jyn rasped.

"I'm Red Three—Biggs Darklighter," he smiled crookedly at her. "Just happened to be strafing the beach—saw the two of you there and realized I had just enough time to come in and pick you up, if you had the brains enough to grab on. Diverted all my shields to my roof, tilted sideways and…Well, I tried to be as gentle as I could, but that's not the easiest thing in the world!" he chuckled. "Good job of holding on."

Jyn's eyes stung as her mind spun, and she stared up into the pilot's face. Her lip trembled.

"How did you find us?"

"Just luck," he said. Then he shrugged and grinned. "Or the Force, if you believe in that sort of thing. I thought I recognized Cassian…" he nodded at the other man. "Figured I had to get down there if I could."

"We're…We're alive…" Jyn croaked, feeling light-headed and distant. "We're not going to die."

"Ha, I don't know about that." Biggs sighed and sat back onto the sand, resting his arms on his bent knees. "We're still on Scarif, the Alliance Fleet has left, my X-Wing is fried, and there are plenty of Imperial troops still running around through the jungles."

"What do you propose we do?" Cassian whispered. Jyn's gaze flew to him. He had gone pale, and his voice cracked. But his intense attention fixed on Biggs.

"Well, the Alliance took out the planetary shield, and from what I can see, the Death Star has gone elsewhere," Biggs said, leaning forward and peering up through the palm branches. "We're going to have to find a ship that's hyperdrive-capable. And we don't have any time to waste."

"Why?" Jyn wanted to know, feeling weak and shaky, but forcing sound to come out. Biggs glanced at her, then over at Cassian, then back at her, a cloud crossing his countenance.

"Because Cassian's hurt," he said gravely. "I've patched him up with the kit from my ship, but without better medical care..."

Pain stuck in Jyn's throat. Her gaze darted back to Cassian. His mouth tightened and he shook his head, as if to dismiss it…

But she had felt his blood seeping through her shirt as she held him.

"Where can we find a ship?" she demanded, trying to make her sore throat create more sound.

"There's a landing platform not far from here," Biggs said, pointing back through the dark jungle. "Just that way, over a little hill."

"How far?" Jyn pressed.

"Mm, half a mile at most," Biggs said, frowning.

"Then let's go," Jyn urged, struggling to sit up.

Pain lanced through her shoulder. She grimaced and hissed through her teeth, but got herself upright. When she opened her eyes, she found Cassian's bright ones watching her. Biggs grabbed her arm.

"Hey, you shouldn't be moving right now," he admonished.

"What, you _just said_ that we have to get Cassian to—" Jyn started.

"Yes, but I've only seen the pad from the air," Biggs interrupted. "I don't know much about the terrain, and while a stationery fire is okay—because everything's on fire right now—a _moving_ fire or any mechanical light would be very visible." Biggs slowly released her, and glanced over at Cassian. "We've got to wait till dawn or they'll pick us off. But I swear it isn't far."

Cassian let out a short breath, closed his eyes and nodded quickly.

"I can hold on. Don't worry about me."

Jyn ground her teeth, but the pain now dancing up and down her side made her clamp her jaw. With a grunt, and a tight sigh, she lowered herself back down on her back, trying to keep her right arm from quivering—but to no avail. And as she stared up at the grey smoke trailing up into the night sky, she also tried to forget the feeling of Cassian's blood soaking into her shirt.

But that was equally impossible.

JCJCJCJCJCJCJC

Jyn's eyes snapped open. For an instant, panic grabbed her as she stared widely up at an unfamiliar sky bordered by palm branches. Flashes of lasers, supernovas, foaming water, tearing pain…

She blinked.

Her mind quieted. A little bird overhead trilled sadly. She swallowed, and sat up. Now, her shoulder didn't hurt, but it felt extremely stiff. She paused, catching her breath and glancing around. Biggs stood a way off, his back to her, scanning around with a pair of electrobinoculars. The fire still burned low, throwing eerie shadows against the trees. She found Cassian.

He watched her again. Weary. With a dull ache on his brow.

Jyn pushed herself up onto her knees, and halfway crawled across the sand toward him. When she neared his side, she carefully settled on his right, her shoulder touching his.

"How are you feeling?" she whispered, studying his profile. He glanced down, and tilted his head toward her.

"At dawn, I want you and Biggs to go on ahead," he said hoarsely. "Find a ship, and get out of here."

"Yeah, that's a good joke," Jyn muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I mean it, Jyn," Cassian hissed, his brow and gaze darkening. She turned and met his glance, and held it. His eyes flickered again, and earnestness crept into his expression.

"I can't keep up with you," he whispered. "I'll slow you down and get you both killed. And then all of this will have been for nothing." His tone softened. "Do it, Jyn. I want you to get home."

Jyn swallowed, those last words sinking deep down through her, lost in the light that reflected from those black eyes—feeling as if she was tilting on the edge of a precipice.

"No," she finally said. "I'm not leaving you behind."

He frowned hard.

"Why? I'm as good as dead—Krennic knew that when he hit me," Cassian insisted. "I refuse to be the reason you and Biggs die. You have a chance to escape this place and get back to help the Rebellion, and you must take it."

"We will," Jyn said calmly. "With you."

Cassian heaved a sigh and searched the heavens, then gave her a hard look.

"Why?" he demanded again, quietly—and something unreadable shone in his eyes.

Jyn almost smiled, running her gaze across his features. Then, she ducked her head, and turned away.

"When we make it back to the Rebel base, I might tell you," she murmured.

He sighed tightly again, and said nothing.

And Jyn remained there the rest of the night, pretending to sleep—but instead simply counting and measuring each one of his breaths.

 _To be continued…_

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